Timberwolves-Wizards Preview

By NOEY KUPCHANPosted Nov 18 2013 1:42PM

After eight consecutive losing seasons, the Minnesota Timberwolves appear to have turned a corner.

The same can't be said for the last-place Washington Wizards.

The Timberwolves try to pick up a rare victory in the nation's capital Tuesday night against the struggling Wizards.

Kevin Love recorded his 10th double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds as Minnesota (7-4) beat visiting Boston 106-88 on Saturday for its fourth win in six games. The Timberwolves, averaging 108.5 points to rank near the top of the NBA, haven't had a winning season since going 44-38 in 2004-05.

"In years past, when we were very young and inexperienced, we would've been on that side," Love said of the struggling Celtics. "Now that the tides have kind of turned for us, we're winning the games that we need to win."

Nikola Pekovic also came up big with 20 points and 12 boards for Minnesota, which held Boston to 39.5 percent shooting and scored 28 points off 22 turnovers.

"We're going to score enough points to beat 80 percent of the teams in the league," guard Kevin Martin told the Timberwolves' official website. "That's what we have to accomplish to get up to five, six games over .500. We just have to play defense."

Martin has been a big part of Minnesota's success. The 10-year veteran, who scored 14.0 points per game with Oklahoma City last season, is averaging 24.4. While his 27 went to waste in Friday's 117-113 loss at Denver, Martin scored 20 against the Celtics.

"We're usually more focused after a loss," he said. "Hopefully on Tuesday we can program in our minds that we lost (Saturday)."

Martin is averaging 22.4 points in 13 career matchups against the Wizards (2-7), his second-highest mark versus any opponent.

Minnesota has dropped eight of nine in Washington, falling 114-101 during its last visit Jan. 25 while playing without Love and Pekovic.

The Timberwolves could have an edge this time around against a Wizards team that has averaged 93.8 points and shot 41.2 percent during a four-game losing streak. Bradley Beal and Nene combined for 52 points as Washington let one slip away Saturday, falling 103-96 to Cleveland in overtime.

"We got to step up and make plays down the stretch," said coach Randy Wittman, whose team was held to six points on 3-of-10 shooting in OT. "That's just what it boils down to in this league. You fight for 46, 47 minutes, we got to learn to make plays."

The Wizards are allowing 104.6 points per game, one of the league's worst marks.

"We all have to get on the same page and we have to do a better job of defending and keeping leads," Beal said. "That's one thing we definitely have to improve on the most."

While the Wizards are hoping to get on track, they know it's not going to get any easier Tuesday.

"Obviously, it puts us in a really bad situation with Minnesota," center Marcin Gortat said. "We have to forget about (Saturday's loss) as fast as possible, get back to the gym, work on our game, look in the mirror and ask ourselves, 'What can we do better to help our team?'"

A more efficient performance from point guard John Wall could help. He has averaged 12.8 points on 29.0 percent shooting in the last five games.

Copyright 2013 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Beal, Wall help Wizards beat Wolves 104-100

Posted Nov 20 2013 2:17AM

WASHINGTON (AP) Bradley Beal scored 25 points, John Wall added 14 points and tied his career high with 16 assists, and the Washington Wizards beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 104-100 on Tuesday night to snap a four-game losing streak.

Martel Webster's 3-pointer with 42 seconds to play gave the Wizards a 100-98 lead. Beal added two free throws with 12.9 seconds left to make it 102-98.

Webster had 17 points, including five 3-pointers.

Kevin Love led the Timberwolves with 25 points and 11 rebounds, and Kevin Martin, who was averaging 24.4 points, was held to 11.

Copyright 2013 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Notebook: Wizards 104, Timberwolves 100

THE FACT:Kevin Love scored 16 points in the first quarter, but just nine the rest of the way in the Minnesota Timberwolves' 104-100 loss to the Washington Wizards.

THE LEAD: Bradley Beal had 25 points, 17 in the second half, John Wall had 14 points and tied a career high with 16 assists to help the Wizards break their four-game losing streak.

Minnesota led by 16 in the first half and by 13 at halftime, but Washington outscored the Timberwolves 30-18 in the third quarter.

Martel Webster hit a 3-pointer with 42.9 seconds left to give the Wizards the lead.

Love had 25 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Timberwolves. Kevin Martin was held to 11 points. In Minnesota's first 11 games, Martin was averaging 24.4.

QUOTABLE: "I thought he was going for 70 in the first eight minutes."-- Washington coach Randy Wittman on Love's hot start

THE STAT: Love made five of his first six shots, then missed eight of his last 11.

TURNING POINT: The Wizards outscored the Timberwolves 18-7 to begin the third quarter to get back into the game.

QUOTABLE II: "I just thought we were very impatient with what we were trying to do. I thought everybody was trying to make the home run play, trying to win the play in one possession and not make you guard us."-- Minnesota coach Rick Adelman on his team's lackluster play

GOOD MOVE: The Wizards came out in the second half with a fury and snatched the game away. "In the first half, we were horrible. We weren't there defensively. We were lackadaisical. We played with no energy," Beal said.

BAD MOVE: Minnesota let Washington run on them in the second half. "Our transition D was poor. That's the only way they scored the ball really. I thought we did a good job in the half court, but everyone knows, when that team gets out in transition they can be pretty good offensively," Love said.

NOTABLE: Webster had six field goals, five of them on 3-pointers.

IN THE ARENA: Flip Saunders returned to Washington for the first time since he was fired as Wizards coach in Jan. 2012. Saunders is now Minnesota's president of basketball operations.

UP NEXT: For the Timberwolves: Tuesday vs. L.A. Clippers, Thursday vs. Brooklyn, Friday at Houston. For the Wizards: Wednesday at Cleveland, Friday at Toronto, Saturday vs. New York.